How going to bed angry can affect your mental health

We all know that heading to bed after an argument can be detrimental for your relationship but what about your mental health?

According to new research, going to bed angry can eliminate the chances of having a good night’s sleep. Which in turn, can lead to a lack of productivity at work and weight gain.

Research conducted by psychologists at Iowa State University monitored the sleep patterns of 436 volunteers after they completed questionnaires on their levels of anger.

Researchers then divided the participants into three groups: the ‘anger-in’ group, the ‘anger-out’ group and those who can remain calm when feeling furious.

Findings indicated that those who keep their anger to themselves, experienced the worst sleep out of the three groups.

Not only does heading to bed angry lead to a lack of sleep caused by overthinking but there’s a physical explanation behind the seemingly endless tossing and turning. According to the study, stress caused by anger can also result in an increase in cardiovascular activity.

And not opening up about our anger issues with others before hitting the pillow can have a negative impact on our mental and physical health.

In the Journal of Research in Personality, the psychologists stated: ‘These findings add to the growing evidence that being prone to anger may lead to poor sleep and that anger and sleep are intimately connected.’

So next time you and your partner are in the middle of an argument, think about whether you can really face Monday morning meetings with just a few hours sleep…

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